Greatest Love of All
by khalsey23
Summary: MerDer future three shot...tissues required. Death of a character.
1. Chapter 1

Greatest Love of All

_Thanks to my person Vicky, for the help she has given me._

**DISCLAIMER: _I do not own Grey's Anatomy and it characters, Shonda Rhimes does, unfortunately._**

It was a rare sunny day in Seattle, the crematorium for quiet a small crowd of people followed the coffin, into the crematorium. They follow it down the aisle and than they sat down in the front pew. The look of devastation on the face of one of the congregation was so evident. He was heartbroken, in the coffin, lays the love of his life. Sat next to him their daughter Ellie and on the other their son Tyler, with their partners. He sat there half listening to the minister, he was sat there thinking about her, how was he meant to go on with his life, without her by his side. He always thought that he go first, being older than she. Has the coffin, enters the furnace, he breaks down, he whispers "_goodbye, my love, I will see you soon"_. He would never get to hold her in his arms again; he would not wake up next to her, with her face buried in his chest. In all the years they have been together, he had never been able to sleep without her. In the 5 days since, she died, he has not slept, he can't get use to being without her, it not right.

He feel Ellie helping him up, has they exit the crematorium; he can feel her standing next to him, only she isn't there, not anymore. He wishes that it was him lying in that coffin, not her. As they get into the car, he has re-treated into his own world. Thinking about the day he first saw her.

_It wasn't until my eyes fell upon her, and they would not leave her. They followed her to the bar, the blonde in the black dress, sitting at the bar, drinking, and downing tequila shots one after another. She didn't know yet, but she had me memorised, the way she held herself, the way her honey blonde hair fell has it rested on her back, the way she managed to still look so elegant when downing shots. I had no idea why my eyes wouldn't leave her; they wouldn't stop watching her, refusing to leave the beauty of the woman sat a few yards from me._

"Dad, Dad" Ellie said

Ellie aroused me from my daydream,

"We are home, Dad" I heard Ellie say.

I get out of the car, and walks towards the house, has I enter the house, I see Cristina, Izzie, George and Alex first, Izzie come up to me.

"That was a beautiful ceremony Derek" Izzie says

"Thanks Iz" I replied. I turn to Ellie and say "I'm going to have a lay down, El".

As I enter our bedroom, it's the first time since she died I have been in that room, since Mer died, I haven't been able to face, sleeping in that bed, not without her, by my side. I am so exhausted; I can still smell the lavender in the room, like she is with me. I lay down on the bed, I can feel her, holding me, I whisper "how can I go on without you", has if she could hear me. I fall in too a deep slumber, as I dream about that night, the night I met her.

_I downed the rest of my drink, using that has an excuse to get close to her; I was drawn to her like a magnet. My mind filled with a thousand thoughts and pick up lines, I disregard each and every one of them._

"_Double scotch, single malt please" I said to Joe and while he was busy getting my drink; I turned to her and flashed her, my best smile. It had been a long time since I had done anything like this. I guess this is what living on the edge felt like. _

"_So is this a good place to hang out" I asked her, surprised the words was coming out of my mouth. _

"_I wouldn't know, never been here before" she replied, giving me the quickest of glances. Looking at her took my breath way. _

"_You know I haven't been here either, first time here. I'm new in town, never been to Seattle, new job" I found myself telling her, even though I'd noticed that she was trying to ignore me. I had to get her to notice me, _

"_You ignoring me", I asked_

"_Um, trying too", she replied,_

"_You shouldn't ignore me" I playfully told her_

_She raised an eyebrow "why not?"_

_She had got me there, now what was I suppose to say to that, that wouldn't leave me sounding arrogant and like I had just graduated from the 'Mark Sloan school of pick up lines'._

"_Because I'm someone you need to get to know, to love", I ended up telling her_

"_Really?" she asked, amused_

"_Oh yes" I answered_

"_So, if I know you, I'll love you?" she asked facing me_

"_Oh yes" I replied_

"_You really like yourself" she added_

"_Just hiding my pain" I told her, laughing_

_She giggles, and I smiled. I love that giggle, it was soft and so her, even though I didn't know her name._

"_So what's your story?" I asked_

"_I don't have a story, I'm just a girl in a bar", she simply put._

"_I'm just a guy in a bar" I told her and finished my drink._

I feel someone shaking me, "Dad" I hear, I just want them to go away, "Dad", and I wake up.

As I open my eyes I expect to her, looking in to green eyes, I realise they belong to my daughter, her eyes are so much like her mother's,

"What is it El" I ask

"Everyone's asking where you are, Dad", she replies.

"El, I can't do it, I can't go down there, and listen to everyone telling me, it will get better, now just leave me alone please" I plead with her.

"Dad, you can't lock yourself away up here. Mom wouldn't want you to do that, to yourself" she tell me

"El, don't tell me what your mother would or wouldn't want me to do, I don't want to see anyone"

"Dad"

"Just leave me alone" I can see that she isn't going to leave,

"NOW" I shout "Get out"

El leaves, I feel awful for shouting at her, but at this moment I don't care, I just want to left alone with my thoughts and memories of Mer.


	2. Chapter 2

**This is only a 3 shot, and i wrote most of this back in 2007, this was the first thing i ever wrote for Grey's but i never actually completed it until now, and this is only posted on one other site. Part 2/3 Enjoy! Italics are flashback**

I close my eyes again, remembering everything we went through, and how I felt before I met her and after I met her. The memories came crashing back to me, every single one of them, like it had happened yesterday.

_I was one of the top neurosurgeons in the country. Not to toot my own horn or anything but my work was and still is highly recognised, and I had to work hard to get to where I was. Years of med school, studying hard, kinda all work and no play…that was me…for a while, I had sacrificed a lot including my marriage, to live my dream._

_I left my life in New York City that I thought I loved to move to Seattle. I left private practice to work at Seattle Grace, which is one of the foremost teaching hospitals on the west coast, I felt honoured to be asked to come here, by my mentor Richard Webber, who was the chief of surgery._

_Did I leave New York for work? Not exactly, the job offer happened to come at just the right time. Did I come here to better myself, establish myself more? No, it was personal…I found my wife of eleven years in our bed with my best friend Mark Sloan. Mark was one of these guys who seemed to ace his way through everything, endless, meaningless one night stands, unable to commit to anyone._

_I moved out here to get away from Addison, from Mark, from all the lies and the betrayal that I now associated with them both and with New York. The two people that I loved and cared about the most in this world, hurt me in more ways that I can explain. Or so I thought at the time._

_Once in Seattle I brought some land and a trailer to live in, if Addison saw this, she would have hated it, it was a whole world away from my life in New York City, but that was exactly what I wanted, no reminders of my old life. I planned on hating it here, after all I'm a New Yorker, so I'm genetically engineered to hate everywhere except for Manhattan. That was until the night I met Meredith Grey._

_It was my second night in Seattle, which turned out to be much better than my first. I was suppose to attend the intern mixer at the hospital, which was suppose to introduce the new interns to the hospital and the doctors they would be working with over their residency. Interns that I would come to know professionally and ultimately personal, that I would teach, mentor and guide for the next 7 years. Tomorrow was my first day at work, so I'd meet them all in the morning, so I didn't really need to attend tonight, what would a few hours tonight mean to them…Nothing…just like it meant nothing to me._

_I was sat in my car, in the hospital parking lot; it felt like the weight of the world was on my shoulders. Addison entered my mind, and played on my thoughts more often than I would care to admit. I had moved here to forget her…to move on… but it wasn't really working. I looked at the big double doors which would lead to my new 'home', my new life. The place where I would spend more time in, than in my own trailer. As a doctor, you were never 'off-duty', always one more surgery, and one more emergency to deal with._

_I let out a heavy sigh and watched has my breath hit the cold air and danced in front of me. I shoved my hands into my jacket pockets and took a few steps towards the hospital, but something stopped me from actually entering the building, and before I knew it, my feet was taking me away from the hospital and toward a bar opposite the hospital. Little did I know that by not attending the mixer, and heading to the bar, it would change my life forever._

When she kicked me out the next morning and I finally knew her name, Meredith, I could get used to saying that name, it just rolled off the tongue, I knew that I had to find a way to see her again, I just didn't know how. So, imagine my surprise when later that day I saw her in the hospital. I could see how shocked she was, how often does your one night stand, turn out to be your boss. She ran, I chased and I grabbed her arm, and guided to the stairwell, I had to try and convince her to go out with me and even though she turned me down, I knew that I would find a way. By no means was I a player, like Mark, but I had never had any problems getting a woman, if I wanted too. She was a challenge, but a challenge that I wanted so bad. When she kissed me in the elevator, it felt so right, so natural, she left me breathless. I always believed in soul mates and true love and in that instance I knew she was someone special; especially that she had made me jealous, something Addison nor anyone else couldn't accomplish.

I fell for her hard and fast, I wasn't supposed too; after all Addison broke my heart, but not that quick. After two months with her, I was in love with her, then Addison showed up and my world came crumbling down. I was going to tell Meredith; that night, that I was married, but of course Addison showed up before I had a chance to tell her. When Addison introduced herself, the look in Meredith's green eyes broke my heart. I could see that she was devastated and I knew so matter what happened I could never undo the hurt that she felt in that moment.

The day in the scrub room, when Meredith asked me to "_pick me, choose me, love me_", and she told me that she loved me, god I wanted to say it back, but I couldn't do that to her, if I choose Addison, not that I was planning to but it would hurt Meredith even more. I thought I did it to protect Mer but I soon realised that I did it to protect my own heart. When I told her I picked Addison, I watched again as her heart broke, I wanted to take it back, but I couldn't, it as too late. I knew I hurt her so badly, and I wanted to tell her I was hurting too, but I couldn't just throw away 11 years of marriage, without trying to fix it, when I said the vows, I meant them. Little did I know that decision was going to haunt me for a long time, that I had damaged any relationship that we would have for years to come.

I remember back to that night, that night that I held her in my arms, before Addison turned up; I was ready to tell her that I was married, but she fell asleep before I had a chance too, and my world fell apart when I heard those words come Addison's mouth.

"_So you are woman screwing my husband"_

I was brought out of my memories by the feel of my wife's arms going around me, my eyes flew opened, hoping to see the beautiful green eyes of my wife, but instead there was nothing, but I could still feel her head resting against my chest. All I wanted was to see her, to join my wife, we had a wonderful 40 years together, but I never thought she would be the first one to go, I don't know how to survive without her. She was my best friend, my lover, my soul mate, how am I supposed to go on without her. More importantly do I want too? There was no way she was suppose to go first, It should have been me, I was older, and I can't breathe without her. I know our children Ellie who is now 28 and started her internship at Seattle Grace, she was always the one to follow our footsteps, especially her mother, and Ellie had adored Meredith since the day she was born. Tyler came two years after and he decided not to become a doctor, but study art, Meredith was always proud of them, and either of them could imagine losing their mom so young and I didn't know how much longer I could survive without her.


	3. Chapter 3

**Part 3/3...thanks for reading.**

As I closed my eyes, I felt her arms wrapping around me, holding me. I didn't want to leave the confine of our bedroom, still clutching onto her pillow, still smelling the lavender of her condition. I cried, I wanted to be holding my wife in my arms, I couldn't face going back downstairs to face everyone, not this time, I just wanted to be left with my memories of my wife.

_It was August, three years to the exact day after we first met, two years after the post it wedding when we finally choose to marry legally, in our hearts we had already been married for two years but after Meredith accident six month before, and i had no say over her care, thanks to Thatcher, my Meredith almost died, and we knew the moment she woke up that we needed to be legally married. This was the day i looked forward to since the day i laid eyes on her._

_I had Mark by my side has my best man has Meredith walked down the make shift aisle on our land, she took my breath away, not like she had, before, she was radiant, as Alex passed her arm onto mine i couldn't stop looking at her._

"_You look beautiful, i love you" I mouthed to her, with my mcdreamy smile._

"_I love you too" she mouthed back to me, before i turned to the minister._

"_We are gathered here today to join Meredith Ellis Grey and Derek Christopher Shepherd to holy matrimony, if anyone has any reason while these two should not be join in matrimony, than speak now or forever hold your peace" the minister said before giving a pause, and when no one spoke up he continued. To celebrate holy matrimony we had exchanging of the rings._

"_I, Derek Christopher Shepherd, take you Meredith Ellis Grey has my lawful wedded wife, to love, honour, comfort, and cherish you from this day forward, forsaking all others, as long as I live? Derek said placing the ring on Meredith's finger._

"_I, Meredith Ellis Grey, take you Derek Christopher Shepherd, has my lawful wedded husband, to love, honour, comfort, and cherish you from this day forward, forsaking all others, as long as I live?" Meredith say placing the ring on Derek's finger. They smiled at each other before turning back to the minister._

"_Both Meredith and Derek have also written their own vows, and Derek has requested to go first" the minister nodded at Derek, Derek turned to Meredith and looked into her eyes._

"_Meredith, i loved you from the first moment i laid eyes on you, you are the love of my life, my soul mate, my future. I don't know myself without you, in our hearts we were married two years ago but not on paper, now i announce in front of our family and friends, that you are my wife, and i love you so much" Derek said not even attempting to hold back the tears._

"_Derek, when i first met you i thought you would be a one night stand, i never believed in love until i met you, we have been through so much, but you are still and always will be the love of my life, i cannot imagine my life with you. You have been a rock since my accident, no matter what people told you, you never gave up on me, and us" Meredith placed his hand on her stomach. "...and...we loved you Derek Shepherd, you are my life, my friend, my lover and my soul mate, and i promise to love you forever" Meredith says unable to stop the tears from forming._

"_The power invested in me by the state of Washington, I now pronounce you husband and wife, you can now kiss the bride, Derek quickly took Meredith in his arms and kissed her hard and deeply, before pulling away but resting his forehead against her's and saying quietly "I love you"_

"_I love you too" Meredith said before turning to walk back down the aisle holding on to the arm of her husband._

"Meredith, please don't leave me" I choked out, the tear still running down my face, I could hear someone walking into our bedroom, it wasn't the footsteps of hi my daughter but of my son.

"Dad, please everyone is asking after you, please come downstairs?" Tyler asked his father.

"Tyler, I can't, I need you mom" I sobbed out.

"Dad, mom wouldn't want you to do this to yourself" Tyler said, touching his father's arm.

"Tyler, I love you and your sister very much...but I can't live without your mom. Please just let me be?"

"Dad"

"Ty, please" Derek almost begged his son.

"I love you dad" my son said me.

"I love you too son" I said listening to my son leave our room, and all I want is to join my wife, I fall asleep with her arms holding me tightly and murmuring.

"I love you Mer" as I close my eyes and find myself face to face with my beautiful wife, just how she was the night I met her all those years ago in Joe's; just before we met again at the hospital the next day.

Over the next forty years, we had our ups and downs but our love never wavered and it never will, our love is for all eternity and we are soul mates in every sense of the word. I have never spent a night without since our wedding day away from her, the last 5 days have been hard, I have lived with her. Lived without her, and live with her again and I am not willing to live without her again, my eyes close for a second and I see my wife , my Meredith holding her arms out to me, as if to welcome me, and has her arms wrap around me, her warmth and her lips pressing against mine and I am home.

**THE END**


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